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LOS ANGELES — Wobbling connected their past legs, the Dodgers stood firm.
When Freddie Freeman deed a two-run location tally successful the archetypal inning and Dodgers “opener” Joe Kelly near mid-batter with an limb wounded soon after, the Dodgers’ reign arsenic defending World Series champions seemed to beryllium reaching its expiration date, the late-arriving assemblage successful information of curdling.
But the Atlanta Braves couldn’t onshore the knockout blow. The Dodgers came disconnected the ropes throwing haymakers, including 3 location runs and six RBIs from Chris Taylor successful an 11-2 triumph successful Game 5 of the National League Championship Series connected Thursday nighttime astatine Dodger Stadium.
Taylor is the 12th subordinate successful MLB past to deed 3 location runs successful a postseason game, the archetypal to bash it with his squad facing elimination. AJ Pollock was conscionable a measurement down with 2 location runs and 4 RBIs arsenic the Dodgers’ discourtesy got its mojo back.
“It’s decidedly a surreal feeling for me,” Taylor said. “I ne'er thought I was gonna deed 3 homers successful a game, fto unsocial successful a postseason game.”
The triumph sends daze waves each the mode backmost to Atlanta, wherever the best-of-seven bid volition proceed with Max Scherzer and Walker Buehler – connected 5 and 4 days of rest, respectively, with nary intervening bullpen work – lined up to transportation to prevention the Dodgers’ season.
Game 6 connected Saturday volition beryllium the Dodgers’ eighth imaginable elimination crippled successful the past 2 postseasons, their 5th successful 12 games this postseason.
“I think, for us, it’s ever conscionable astir winning 1 game,” Taylor said. “We effort to support that mentality. We’re doing everything we tin to triumph contiguous and conscionable benignant of taking 1 time astatine a time.”
Like a unpaid occurrence brigade passing h2o buckets manus to hand, the Dodgers’ bullpen tamped retired the Braves’ aboriginal sparks and saved the barn from burning down successful Game 5.
First up aft Kelly’s exit was Evan Phillips. One of the much nondescript of the 37 players to walk done the Dodgers’ pitching unit this season, Phillips mightiness person gotten the 4 astir important outs of their season.
He finished disconnected a strikeout of Adam Duvall with 1 transportation aft replacing Kelly, who near with biceps tightness aft 28 labored pitches. Then Phillips retired the broadside successful the second, striking retired 2 more.
The crushed nary longer threatening to unfastened nether their feet and swallow them up, Pollock led disconnected the bottommost of the 2nd inning with a location run. Albert Pujols followed with a azygous (the archetypal of 3 times helium would scope base) and Taylor rifled the archetypal of his location runs into the Dodgers’ bullpen.
A 2-0 pb that seemed similar the opening of the extremity became a specified soma wound.
Braves starting pitcher Max Fried hadn’t fixed up 3 runs successful a azygous inning since July 5 and the Dodgers tagged him for different successful the 3rd inning erstwhile Pollock, Pujols and Taylor strung 3 consecutive singles together.
The 4 earned runs were the astir Fried had fixed up since July 23 and his time was soon done. Taylor greeted his successor, Chris Martin with a acold play – a 2nd two-run location run.
Taylor wasn’t done. He lined a 3rd location tally into the near tract pavilion successful the seventh inning, joining Kiké Hernandez (Game 5 of the 2017 NLCS) arsenic the lone Dodgers to person three-home tally games successful the postseason. Taylor’s six RBIs fell 1 abbreviated of Hernandez’s franchise postseason grounds successful that crippled astatine Wrigley Field.
“I wasn’t reasoning excessively much,” Taylor said. “I’m successful a beauteous bully spot close present and erstwhile you’re feeling good, I deliberation it’s much conscionable ‘See the ball, deed the ball.’”
All the while, a assortment battalion of relievers trotted successful from the Dodgers’ bullpen, retired a fewer Braves hitters without muss oregon fuss past headed for the post-game spread.
Six pitchers followed Kelly to the mound and combined to let conscionable 3 baserunners implicit the last 8-1/3 innings, lone 1 of which precocious past archetypal base.
From Phillips, it went to Alex Vesia. Then Brusdar Graterol breezed done 2 innings, retiring each six batters helium faced connected conscionable 14 pitches. Blake Treinen took down 2 much innings astatine a much leisurely gait followed by Corey Knebel and Kenley Jansen to adjacent it out.
“We haven’t done thing yet,” Pollock said. “We recognize that. We won today, that was the extremity and we’ll spell from here.”
The Braves, who led past year’s NLCS 3-1 earlier the Dodgers rallied their mode past them, did not look outwardly shaken Thursday. Asked astir going location with a 3-2 lead, Braves manager Brian Snitker remained confident.
“I’d person taken it. We person to triumph 1 of 2 games. … I similar our chances,” Snitker said.
More to travel connected this story.
Chris Taylor is the archetypal subordinate successful #postseason past to person a 3-HR crippled successful a imaginable elimination game. pic.twitter.com/T6AEfbQYir
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 22, 2021
Crush Taylor! pic.twitter.com/ZcnycMhGay
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2021
CT3 for the lead! pic.twitter.com/5zq0ep0kwp
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2021
AJ Pollock puts the Dodgers connected the board. pic.twitter.com/pfYCUaFBWz
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2021
PO11OCK pic.twitter.com/cp3ONtR56j
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2021
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